On most courses you will be required to undertake some type of group work. This might be a group project for an assessed piece of work, or a group discussion on a particular topic.

Some people find group work a useful and enjoyable exercise, whereas other people find it a daunting and difficult task. This is because some people learn better in a group setting whereas others learn more effectively on their own (see Chapter 1), or it may be due to the make-up of the group and problems with disruptive group members.

By planning your group work and improving your personal team–work skills, you should find that working in a group can be a rewarding and valuable experience. This chapter provides advice and guidance on developing these skills.

IMPROVING YOUR COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Communication is the key to effective group work. It involves putting across your message effectively and listening to the opinions of other people.

Verbal Skills

Some people dread having to talk in front of other people. If this is the case with you, consult Chapter 14 where advice is given on conquering nerves when speaking in public.

When you are working in a group you need to be able to convey your thoughts and opinions effectively. You can do this by considering the following points:

• Explain your opinions clearly and concisely. Don’t be afraid of pauses if they help you to structure your argument.
• Speak slowly – it’s easier for you to follow your argument and easier for other people to listen.
• Don’t take things personally when people don’t agree with your opinions.
• Be patient – if someone doesn’t seem to understand what you are saying, try explaining it in a slightly different way.
• Don’t assume that you are right all of the time. Be open to other ideas and opinions. However, if you are certain of your views, don’t be easily persuaded by alternative views, especially if they are expressed more forcefully than yours.

Listening Skills

How frustrated do you get when you know that someone is not listening to you, especially when you are saying something important or something that is close to your heart? But how do you know that they are not listening? What clues do they give to alert you to the fact that their mind is elsewhere or that they can’t be bothered with your opinion?

Perhaps they don’t make eye contact, or maybe they keep interrupting with their own thoughts and opinions. Do they try to guess what you are going to say, or walk away from you mid-sentence, leaving you annoyed and frustrated? If you think about the times you have felt that someone was not listening to you it will help you to improve your own listening skills.

In reality few of us listen well. Yet, good listening is an important skill to master and will help you with your studies, especially in your group work.

During your group work listening should be active rather than passive. You should be involved within the group-listening to other people, forming your own opinions and letting other people know what you think. You expect them to listen to you and you should listen to them. If the whole group is involved in active listening, the work of the group will run much more smoothly and be free from individual annoyance or frustration.

To help you to improve your active listening skills, consider the following points:

• Always make eye contact with the speaker – this shows that you are interested in what they are saying.
• Try not to be distracted when someone is speaking – don’t fiddle with a pen, look at what is happening outside the window or respond to others who are not speaking.
• When someone is speaking, take note of the words they are using and the ideas they are expressing. Start to distinguish between opinions, prejudice and fact.
• Make sure you let someone finish speaking – don’t jump to conclusions about what they are going to say.
• Although it is acceptable to interrupt occasionally with a relevant question or opinion, don’t do it too often or in a confrontational way – this will cause ill-feeling and may lead to other members of the group becoming defensive.
• If you agree with what someone has said, express your support and opinion. We all like to receive encouragement from others, especially if we are nervous or slightly unsure of what we are saying.
• If you are unsure of what someone is saying, ask questions. Try to ask open questions which start with words such as ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘where’ and ‘how’ as people cannot answer these with a simple yes or no and will have to elaborate on what they are saying.

Remember that other members of the group might be un-confident or nervous about speaking in a group setting. Give them a chance to speak and make sure that you, and other members of the group, listen to what they have to say.

In group work active listening has to be an activity undertaken by all members of the group for the group to work well. It may be useful to point this out at the beginning of the group – perhaps this could be included in a code of conduct (see below).

PLANNING YOUR GROUP WORK

When members of your group first meet you need to ask some initial questions:

• Do you need to appoint a chairperson? If so, how will this person be appointed?
• Do you need to keep a record of events, and if so, who will agree to do this?
• When, where and how regularly is your group going to meet?
• Is it possible and desirable to obtain contact details for each group member?
• Do you need somebody to keep track of time?
• How will you make sure that everybody in the group is able to make a contribution and that their opinions are not ridiculed or undervalued?
• Do people in your group have different strengths and weaknesses? How will you determine this and will it have an influence on the allocation of work?
• What work do you have to complete?
• How will your conclusions be presented and by whom?

As you probably have very little idea of how people will interact in your group, you can solve a lot of future problems by setting a few ground rules at the outset. When you first get together, work with your group to develop a ‘code of conduct’. Make sure that every group member is happy with the code and agrees to abide by its rules. This could cover the following:

• The importance of actively listening to each other.
• Respecting individual values and opinions.
• Discouraging the use of offensive or upsetting language or opinions.
• The allocation of work and the commitment expected from each group member.
• What the group will do if someone doesn’t turn up for meetings or doesn’t complete their allocation of work.
• How you will resolve conflict if it arises.
• Issues of confidentiality – what should be kept inside the group?

The ‘code of conduct’ can be written on a flip chart or reproduced in a handout for each group member. If anyone strays from the rules, a gentle reminder from several group members may be enough to sort out the problem.

Some groups find it useful to produce a list of ‘aims and objectives’ or ‘goals’. What do you want to get out of the group? What do you hope to achieve? How are you going to work together to achieve this outcome? Again, if a group member is not pulling their weight, a gentle reminder of the aims and objectives should help.

PRODUCING GROUP ASSIGNMENTS

If you have to produce a piece of assessed work make sure that everyone is clear about the deadline. Divide the work amongst group members – make sure everyone knows what they have to do and when it has to be completed. It might be useful to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each member – some will be good at research, others good at writing reports. Tasks can be allocated accordingly which will help motivation levels and improve the success of the group. Arrange regular meetings to keep track of what everyone is doing. In this way, if a group member is not doing their work, the problems can be detected early.

COPING WITH DIFFICULT GROUP MEMBERS

Every person in your group is different. They all have different personalities, different learning styles and different reasons for coming on the course. Despite this, everyone in your group is on your course and therefore has a common bond – most group members are interested in the subject and most will want to do well. However, there may be exceptions to this rule, and if you find that you are unlucky enough to have an unmotivated, disruptive member of your group, it can create trouble for the rest of you. The following points may help you to resolve problems in your group:

• Refer back to the ‘code of conduct’ and ask that everyone adheres to its rules.
• Talk the situation over as soon as it occurs. Don’t let problems escalate.

• It is perfectly acceptable to agree to disagree. If someone is adamant about an issue and the work of the group is not moving forward, it might be better to leave the issue and move on to something else.
• If the group member is very disruptive and you can’t solve the problems in your group, seek advice from your tutor. You can do this without mentioning names, although your tutor will probably know who you are talking about.

Although many groups work successfully and are not disrupted, some students do find themselves in an awkward position when undertaking group work. The following tips are from students who found themselves in such a predicament.

ENHANCING YOUR GROUP EXPERIENCE

Group work can be a valuable and rewarding experience. To make sure that you get the most out of your group work, consider the following points:

• Develop a positive attitude towards group work.
• Be prepared to contribute and give your best.
• Get rid of prior expectations about group members.
• Don’t get involved in gossip, take sides or be tempted to join factions.
• Recognise that everybody has different knowledge, skills and experiences. Don’t be judgemental about these abilities.
• Keep an open mind – turn negative experiences into positive – what have you learned and how has it helped you to grow as a student?
• Recognise the valuable team-work skills and experience you have developed – communication skills, listening skills, negotiation, co-operation, delegation, conflict resolution, etc.